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Sony to launch world's thinnest HDD music player
Thursday January 15, 2004 12:11 PM EST
By: Fabrizio Pilato
Source: Yahoo Asia
Over one year after taking over struggling audio equipment maker Aiwa Co., Sony plans to release the card-size Giga pavit HZ-WS2000. Measuring 10.6 millimeters thick and weighing 68 grams, "Making it the world's thinnest and lightest music player among those with a hard disk drive (HDD)", Sony said in a news release. Although this is very questionable, as seen in the photo's the HZ-WS2000 requires a controller type device to operate. Not an ideal design standard in my opinion.
Sony has not set any suggested retail price for the new product but it is expected to sell for about 35,000 yen ($350 USD).
Starting February, Sony will release 13 USB Audio-series products under the Aiwa brand.
Aiwa will also be releasing a sports style Giga pavit HDD player (HZ-DS2000), featuring a heavy duty design and an LCD display on the front of the unit. Aiwa’s sports style HDD player will also utilize a 2GB hard drive for lightweight portability and high-capacity MP3 storage.
Apple's 10-Q notes iPod battery legal entanglements
By Peter Cohen pcohen@maccentral.com
February 10, 2004 12:05 pm ET
Apple's most recent 10-Q filing with the SEC was published on Tuesday. The quarterly report provides a glimpse into some of the company's business and financial machinations, as well as a possible look at what Apple may do in the future. Of particular interest to iPod users is Apple's acknowledgement that it's involved in five separate class action suits regarding iPod battery life.
The 10-Q outlines in broad strokes Apple's quarterly financial results -- which have been previously reported -- as well as the company's previously discussed product and business initiatives, such as iLife 04, Final Cut Express, updates to the iPod line and the new iPod mini, the G5 Xserve and more.
Apple's sales to the educational market rose year-over-year, but Apple cautioned about "continued uncertainty" in the market, thanks to increased competition and reduced spending. Apple stressed that its strategy for the educational market is "1:1 solutions," or programs like its Virginia and Maine efforts where each individual student is assigned an iBook. "Although the Company has taken steps, and will continue to take steps, to address this weakness, it remains difficult to anticipate when and if this trend will reverse," said Apple.
Could a makeover of the iMac or eMac be coming soon? Apple noted that sales of iMacs are lagging significantly; unit sales of iMacs are off 24 percent for the quarter. Apple attributes this slowness to a shift in consumer preference to portable models like its PowerBook and iBook line, as well as a general trend towards consumer computers that cost less than $1,000 (the iMac, by comparison, starts at $1,299). "Also, the current flat panel iMac and eMac form factors are approximately 2 years old, which contributed to the decline in net sales," said Apple.
Apple saw $23 million in restructuring costs during the quarter. The company terminated its manufacturing operations in Singapore and reduced headcount in its PowerSchool division, which develops student information technology used by schools.
Part of the 10-Q deals with legal proceedings involving Apple; at any given point, as with most large companies, Apple is either defending itself or prosecuting a variety of cases concerning a variety of issues -- class action lawsuits, for example, or patent cases. One entry in particular may catch the interest of iPod users: Apple noted that five separate plantiffs have filed class action suits in Northern California courts alleging "misrepresentations by the Company relative to iPod battery life."
Apple has been the subject of criticism for some months now regarding the battery pack used in the iPod. Some users have noted that the system's battery charge capacity seems to degrade dramatically over time. The iPod's battery pack is not an easily user-serviceable item, and until fairly recently Apple's sole recommendation to iPod users suffering with the problem was to replace the iPod -- some third parties offer battery replacements and service as well.
Since last fall, however, following a public outcry, Apple responded by offering an extended AppleCare warranty plan which provides iPod users with another year of warranty coverage and the promise of a battery replacement for units affected by this issue, for an additional cost.
The cases, filed in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco and Alameda County Superior Courts, allege that Apple violated California Civil Codes regarding unfair competition, false advertising, fraudulent concealment and breach of warranty.
"The Company is beginning its investigation of these claims," said Apple, which has also requested that the claims be consolidated to Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley).
The MuVo² supports the song information in your music's ID3 tags but not the play order. So if your want your albums to play in the proper order, you'll need to specify a number at the start of each filename (as with many other players) or create a playlist for each album using the included Creative MediaSource Organizer software, which also rips CDs to MP3. Additionally, if you don't put songs in folders or playlists, they'll be hard to find except as part of the play-all-tracks mode. Once they're in there, you can upload them to other computers.
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Creative_Nomad_MuVo2__4GB_/4505-6490_7-30708279.html?tag=dir
Surprise of surprises. Ol Mossberg loves iPOD mini
http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20040211.html
Tinroad LOL eom
e.Digital expects to realize several million dollars in revenue over the next five years from the APS/Alaska Airlines orders through initial sales of the units, refurbishment fees and other services.
Audible Announces Agreement with Creative
WAYNE, N.J. & MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004--
Creative NOMAD MuVo, MuVo NX, MuVo TX, and NOMAD Jukebox Zen X-tra Portable Audio Players to Support Audible.com Audio Service
Audible, Inc. (OTCBB:ADBL) and Creative Labs (Nasdaq:CREAF) today announced that selected Creative NOMAD(R) MuVo(R) and NOMAD Jukebox Zen portable audio players will become AudibleReady(R) devices, fully compatible with Audible's award-winning audio download service. Audible is the leading provider of digitally delivered spoken word audio, featuring audio editions of the latest best sellers, newspapers, magazines, radio programs, and original shows.
Creative portable audio players will support audiobooks, audio periodicals, public radio programs, language learning, educational programming, and more. NOMAD MuVo, MuVo NX, MuVo TX, and NOMAD Jukebox Zen X-tra portable audio players will be "field upgradable" with a free software download that will make devices compatible with Audible's Internet audio service at audible.com(R).
The selected Creative portable audio players are slated to be fully AudibleReady later this year. In an international co-marketing effort for Audible's flagship AudibleListener membership program, users of compatible NOMAD players will be offered one free month of AudibleListener, Audible's unique membership plan that offers audio programming online that would otherwise cost more than $50 on tape or CD. Users will be able to choose between a package of any two audiobooks from Audible's industry-leading collection of 6,000 titles (regularly $19.95), or one audiobook and one 1-month subscription (regularly $14.95) from Audible's Subscription Center, www.audible.com/subscriptions. The offer can also be co-promoted inside product boxes, in the set-up CD, at retail outlets, and via joint advertising efforts.
"This agreement with Audible enables Creative to expand beyond music playback capabilities on NOMAD portable audio players to include audiobooks," said Lisa O'Malley, senior brand manager for Portable Audio at Creative. "With Audible we will expand the functionality and utility of the NOMAD line in a way that literally speaks to busy professionals on the go, people exercising, or anyone sharing the more than 600 million hours per week that Americans sit in traffic."
"Working with Creative to add to the lineup of portable audio players that support audiobooks is an important step for Audible," said Foy Sperring, senior vice president, Strategic Alliances at Audible, Inc. "This partnership means that owners of compatible Creative portable audio players can have seamless access to our 20,000 audio titles and our AudibleListener membership program. This new agreement represents a major step forward for Audible's AudibleReady device strategy, and it comes at a time of intense growth and increased market penetration for the digital audio category of which Creative is such a large and essential part."
About Audible.com:
Audible.com, recently named the best consumer Web service by CNet.com (April 2003), and one of the "Best of Today's Web" by PC World (August 2002) features daily audio editions of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times -- available on a subscription basis in time for the morning drive to work each day -- as well as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Scientific American and Fast Company. The site offers a powerful collection of audiobook best sellers and classics by authors such as Tom Clancy, Stephen King, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, the Dalai Lama, David McCullough, Stephen Hawking, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson and Jane Austen. There are also speeches, lectures, and on-demand radio programs including Marketplace, All Things Considered, Car Talk, Fresh Air and This American Life, and original shows such as RobinWilliams@audible.com. All of the programs at audible.com are available for computer-based playback, burning to audio CD, and on-the-go listening using numerous AudibleReady(TM) portable digital audio players offered by leading consumer electronics and computer manufacturers.
About Creative:
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users. Famous for its Sound Blaster(R) sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed NOMAD Jukebox. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment -- anytime, anywhere.
About Audible, Inc.:
Audible(R) (www.audible.com(R)) is the Internet's largest, most diverse provider of premium spoken audio services for content download and playback on personal computers, CD or AudibleReady(R) computer-based mobile devices. Audible has more than 34,000 hours of audio programs and 135 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.com's (www.amazon.com) exclusive provider of spoken word products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Additionally, the Company is strategically aligned with Random House, Inc., to pioneer the first-ever imprint to produce spoken word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the Company's key business partners are Apple Corp., Casio Inc., Handspring, Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation, Palm, Inc., Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks, Inc., Sony Electronics, Texas Instruments and VoiceAge Corp.
Audible, www.audible.com, Audible Otis, AudibleListener, and AudibleReady are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks.
Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains information about Audible, Inc. that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements about the company. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, Audible's limited operating history, history of losses, uncertain market for its services, and its inability to license or produce compelling audio content and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
MP3 Player Makers Expedite Alliance With Online Content Providers
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
By Kim Won-suk
In line with trends of charging fees for downloading music, MP3 player makers are expediting strategic alliances with leading online content providers. These MP3 player firms are competitively installing digital rights management solutions of content providers in their MP3 gadgets.
MP3 players equipped with digital rights management solution can neither play back free music nor transmit free music files to other appliances.
Industry sources said on February 9 that MP3 player maker Digital Way is in talks with content provider Soribada for partnership in the wake of alliance between Samsung Electronics and Napster. Other MP3 player firms such as Reigncom and Cowon System are seeking to build partnership relations with content providers.
Seeing that adoption of digital rights management solution will become a key to exploring overseas markets where pay music service prevails, MP3 player firms are expediting its installation, in particular.
Reigncom is in talks with big name music publishers to enter contracts of licensing music sources, while offering charged music streaming and down loading service beginning in April this year via its subsidiary Urion.
The company also plans to roll out MP3 players installed with 'Janus', the next-generation digital rights management solution of Microsoft, set to be unveiled in June. "For use of legal digital music sources, the company will initially adopt Microsoft's digital rights management solution," said a manager at Reigncom.
Digital Way is poised to change landscape of the domestic MP3 player market by entering a partnership contract with Soribada, the largest online music service provider at home. "The business model of allowing users to download music from Soribada and play back in Digital Way's MP3 player will stir a substantial ripple effect in the market," said an officer at the company.
Cowon System intends to augment lineup of MP3 players that can support digital rights management solutions, when distribution of pay content turns to be more active.
OT: iRiver America Delivers Highest Capacity Flash-Memory Player in a Premium Design
iFP-599T Holds Up to 34 Hours* of Music
MILPITAS, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- iRiver, the emerging global leader in portable digital audio devices, today announced the unveiling of its iFP-599T, the most feature rich and largest capacity flash-based memory player on the market. As the latest addition to iRiver's successful line of award- winning portable music players, the iFP-599T comes standard with 1 GB** of
internal memory and offers consumers the ability to record MP3s on the fly from any source.
The iFP-599T holds up to 34 hours of music and plays up to 28 hours from a single charge to its rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In addition to playing MP3, WMA and ASF music files, the iFP-599T allows customers to store all types of files when it is used as a portable drive.
iRiver also announced today the iFP-595T, which has the same features and functionality as the iFP-599T but comes with 512 MB*** of memory. Both players are loaded with features, including a built-in FM tuner with presets, line-in MP3 encoding, voice-activated voice recording as well as FM tuner recording functionality. The players are also compatible with the latest version of the MoodLogic Software which offers an intuitive solution for users to create mixes based on genre, mood and tempo rather than simply by artist and track names.
"As the leader in flash memory players, we designed the iFP-500 series to set the bar again for best design, feature-set and capacity," said Jonathan Sasse, president of iRiver America. "We are proud to continue providing the MP3 category with superior products, and the iFP-599T is clearly leading the way."
iFP-599T Features:
-- 1GB internal storage
-- Plays MP3 and WMA music files
-- Up to 28 hours of battery life
-- Plays up to 34 hours of music
-- Real-time MP3 encoding
-- Record to directly from FM tuner
-- Voice-activated recorder
-- Store or transfer any file type
-- Rechargeable battery
-- Optical output
-- iRiver Music Manager for Easy Music transfers
-- 60 grams in weight
-- Ultra compact design (64 x 51 x 19.1 mm)
-- USB connection
Pricing and Availability
The iFP-599T and iFP-595T are available now at http://www.iRiverAmerica.com and at selected retailers. Suggested retail price for the iFP-599T is USD $449.99 and the iFP-595T is USD $329.99.
About iRiver
iRiver is the emerging global leader in delivering advanced portable digital audio devices. iRiver provides consumers with listening and recording flexibility to accommodate their active lifestyles by manufacturing award- winning hybrid products supporting existing and emerging formats, including MP3, WMA, and ASF. Milpitas-based iRiver America, Inc. can be found on the Web at http://www.iRiverAmerica.com.
NOTE: iRiver America is a registered trademark of iRiver America, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.
* Up to 34 hours of music based on Windows Media format at 64kbps.
** 1GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes, not all drive space available for file storage.
*** 1MB equals 1,000,000 bytes, not all drive space available for file storage.
Contacts:
Gary Byrd
Nadel Phelan, Inc.
831-440-2414
gary@nadelphelan.com
Speaking of having issues.......LOL
Msft products sure have a few minor ones........
MP3.com To Re-Launch As Music.Download.com
02/06/2004 01:15 PM
Following last years buy-out by CNet of music download provider MP3.com, the service is soon to be re-launched as music.download.com. The new website will offer music but also games and software, an indication of the CNet influence.
A minimal service will be used initially when the site goes live in March, but the music content is expected to return soon after. CNet is building the structure of the service from new as it didn't have the opportunity to buy the old technology.
New Product Manager of music.download.com, Aaron Newton, said in a letter to the I.T. Vibe website "I hope to bring you a music site that meets the high expectations we all had for MP3.com when it first started."
Thats a Bantam....... eom
OT: Dell Takes on the iPod: Dell Digital Jukebox 15/20 GB
http://www20.tomshardware.com/mobile/20040130/index.html
Conclusion
When all is said and done, it really depends on how confident you are in the company you buy a digital music player from. Nearly all the problems I have with the Dell Digital Jukebox could be fixed with firmware upgrades. That said, do you really want to drop between $250 and $300 to beta test a company's product and get online in their forums to tell them what they should do to improve it? I wouldn't, but you might. However, the domain of digital music sales themselves seems to have prompted Dell to get a product to market too soon (my opinion again). I can't imagine any other reason that they would do things like not allowing you to use the device to transport files without installing software on the destination computer, allowing you to record voice audio but not transfer it to your computer and other conundrums covered in this review. The hardware looks like it's there, as is the means of navigating the device. How about a little quality assurance and testing?
While readers of THG may be willing to mess around with things like bad documentation, the general public probably won't. Maybe that extra monetary savings over the iPod was achieved by making you test the Digital Jukebox for Dell. Maybe they should have waited until it was ready for market. If you don't mind downloading firmware, patches, and are a proponent of things like Ogg Vorbis support and willing to nag Dell until they provide it, buy the device now before Dell spends the development money to get it right.
If you want something that works out of the box without any trouble and does what you expect, read reviews, swallow your pride if you have to and spend the extra money on something that's ready for prime time. I'm not telling you to buy an iPod (I don't have one and haven't tested one) but someone else is bound to come up with a PC-based device like this that's worth dropping your hard earned cash on.
And, as I said before, this is symptomatic of a large portion of the PC component (and software and operating system) industry. If you're buying it, why do you have to test it?
OT: Hitachi sees smaller 03/04 loss at HDD operation
Reuters, 02.04.04, 1:48 AM ET
TOKYO, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Hitachi Ltd <6501.T>, Japan's largest electronics conglomerate, said on Wednesday it cut its estimated loss at its hard-disk drive (HDD) division to 10.9 billion yen ($103.4 million) for the year to March from an earlier forecast of 40 billion yen.
Hitachi has targeted disk drives, used to store data in computers and video recorders, as one of its core businesses after acquiring International Business Machines Corp's (nyse: IBM - news - people) drive operations a year ago for $2.05 billion.
The sprawling conglomerate, with a 320,000-strong global workforce, earlier on Wednesday said it swung to a net profit in the latest quarter, buoyed by an earnings recovery at its disk drive and semiconductor operations.
($1=105.46 YEN)
Copyright 2004, Reuters News Service
Cornice Secures $51 Million in Venture Funding; Storage Innovator's Steady Success Yields Increased Interest From Finance Sector
LONGMONT, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2004--Cornice Inc., an innovator in compact, high-capacity storage, has secured $51 million in a second round of venture financing. The round includes the Company's previous investors -- CIBC Capital Partners, Nokia Venture Partners and VantagePoint Venture Partners -- and brings on board new investors BA Venture Partners and GIC Special Investments Pte. Ltd. As a result of this second round of financing, Jim Jones, a director at BA Venture Partners, will join the Cornice Board of Directors.
This round of financing brings the total amount invested in the Company to $81 million. The new capital will be used to support sales, development, and manufacturing initiatives related to the Company's Storage Element technology. The Storage Element is an embedded storage device for "pocket-able" electronic products such as digital music players, digital video capture devices, and other products. Cornice's two-gigabyte Storage Element, introduced in January 2004, has already been designed into products that made their debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2004.
"The participation of our previous investors in this round is an enormous vote of confidence in Cornice's vision for compact, low-cost storage for electronic devices," said Kevin Magenis, president and CEO of Cornice. "With the additional financing and very high, sustained interest in the Cornice Storage Element from leading electronic device manufacturers, we are confident that the Company has tapped into a market need that has been unmet for some time."
"As active investors, we are proud to have been instrumental in the growth of a company with such innovative technology, solid management, and top-tier customers in the consumer electronics industry," said Melissa Crane-Guzy, managing director at VantagePoint Venture Partners. "Cornice's early successes in the MP3 player market have demonstrated that it is well ahead of the curve in terms of providing a storage solution that meets the cost, size, and capacity requirements of 'pocket-able' consumer electronics."
"The number of portable electronic consumer devices on the market continues to grow at a phenomenal rate which increases the demand for advanced storage solutions like Cornice's," said Jim Jones, director of BA Venture Partners. "I am excited to join the board of such an exciting company as they address the demands of the large and growing consumer electronics market."
About Cornice
Cornice Inc. is an innovator in small, compact, low-cost, high-capacity storage that enables a new generation of pocket-able consumer electronic devices for the world's leading brand-name manufacturers. The Cornice Storage Element (SE) is durable, integrated, personal storage that brings new levels of affordability and content capacity to these devices.
Early investors in Cornice include the company's founders, management team, and Texas Instruments. In August 2002, the Company received its first venture investment from, CIBC Capital Partners, Nokia Venture Partners, and VantagePoint Venture Partners. Privately held, Cornice maintains headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. Visit Cornice at http://www.corniceco.com/.
Contacts
Looks great..just need real time upgrade ........ eom
Time to change sources It shows up everywhere it should
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040202005...
TGE IS the company elluded to by e.Digital
from deBeer Agora
Based on TGE Group's assertion and the information provided to us in December by them and some of their key parts suppliers, we believe they are the largest supplier of OEM/ODM flash-based MP3 players.
We are pleased to announce this relationship and we look forward to issuing further details regarding it and the variety of MicroOS(tm)-enabled, disk drive storage-based products we are developing forTGE Group and their global customer base for release this year.
Is TGE the largest flash based player mfg. we are waiting on? eom
Creative second-quarter earnings jump by 55%
SINGAPORE: Computer audio equipment giant Creative Technology Ltd has posted a higher-than-expected second-quarter profit as sales of its MP3 player and digital cameras surged during the 2003 year-end holidays.
For the three months to Dec 31, 2003, the Singapore-based company known for its Sound Blaster sound cards and Nomad JukeBox digital music players unveiled a net profit of US$29.2mil, up 55% from US$18.9mil a year earlier. Including a tax write-back, its fiscal second-quarter net profit rose to US$41.5mil.
But while the net profit beat analysts' estimates, the company’s top line was seen as a concern.
Creative posted second-quarter revenues of US$250.4mil, up 8.4% on the year-earlier quarter. – Reuters
Singapore's Creative/Earnings: Strong Product Line
Corrected January 29, 2004 04:26 ET
Creative Technology Ltd. (C76.SG) - Singapore
2Q ended Dec. 31:
Figures in U.S. dollars
2003 2002
Sales US$250,422,000 US$230,940,000
Pretax Profit 31,216,000 20,824,000
Net Profit 41,484,000 18,879,000
Earnings Per Share
Fully Diluted 50 cents 23 cents
Existing Capital 52 cents 24 cents
Dividend -- --
(US$1=S$1.6974)
Earnings are unaudited, and based on U.S. GAAP.
SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd. (C76.SG) Thursday reported a more than doubling of net profit to US$41.5 million, or 50 cents per diluted share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, helped by a tax writeback and strong sales of digital entertainment products.
The Nasdaq- and Singapore-listed company said sales in its financial second quarter rose to US$250.4 million from US$230.9 million.
The maker of Sound Blaster audio cards for personal computers and Nomad digital entertainment products said a US$12.3 million tax writeback was one reason earnings rose so sharply on year.
For the current quarter, Creative said it sees revenue growth of 10% on year to between US$175-US$180 million, with gross margins of between 34%-35% and operating expenses of US$54 million.
Creative's sales during the second quarter were within the US$250 million to US$265 million guidance provided by the company at the end of its first quarter.
Its EPS - at 35 cents a share after stripping out the contribution from the tax writeback - was above the EPS target of 28 cents.
Creative rose 30 cents, or 1.6%, to close at S$19.70 Thursday before its earnings were announced.
At an analysts conference, Creative said the tax writeback was due to a reversal of prior periods' income taxes following the grant of a new "Pioneer Status" under the Singapore government's International Headquarters Award.
"Accordingly, the company will be recovering funds from the taxes previously paid on such profits," it said, adding that its effective tax rate for the current year is about 8%.
The company also said sales of digital entertainment products "outside the PC box" - such as digital audio players - grew to 66% of total sales from just over 50% in the previous quarter, reflecting its success in diversifying away from personal computers and into consumer electronics.
About 80% of Creative's sales during the quarter were through the retail channels, while OEM/ODM (original equipment manufacturer/original design manufacturer) sales accounted for just under 20%.
Creative expects to benefit from a slew of new products that have won positive reviews at trade shows and in the media. The rise in its inventory - to US$154.8 million as of Dec. 31 from US$80.4 million as at June 30 - and its increased marketing expenses were consistent with its preparation for new product launches, it added.
"We generated a huge buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show (in Las Vegas), starting with Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates holding up a prototype of our Zen Portable Media Center in his opening keynote speech," Creative Chairman and Chief Executive Sim Wong Hoo said.
The Zen PMC is a compact, handheld device that can carry video, music and digital images. It will be more than half a year before the product starts hitting the market, Sim said.
Creative said it expects to increase its share of the fast-growing market for flash memory-based audio players but didn't give specific targets.
For the current quarter, Creative said it will begin shipping a device the size of a keychain that can play up to 16 hours of music called the Nomad MuVo TX.
The company is targeting to grow third-quarter EPS by 50% year-on-year to around 9 U.S. cents, and expects fourth-quarter revenue to rise above 10% on year.
PoGo! Products Launches New 30GB HDD MP3/WMA Recorder
BREA, Calif., Jan. 29, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- PoGo! Products, Ltd. (OTCBB:PGOI), a leader in portable digital audio (MP3) technology and cutting-edge personal electronic products for the consumer and businesses, today announced their Hard Disk Drive product, The RipDrive(tm). Another innovative product from PoGo! Products.
"The RipDrive(tm) appears as another drive on your PC (mass storage device) without the need for additional drivers. RipDrive(tm) has a built in FM recorder allowing you to save your radio broadcast. It also features Direct Encoding, and doubles as a Digital Voice Recorder," said Robin McSurley, Vice President of Sales for PoGo! Products."
At an MSRP of $349.99 PoGo! anticipates that the RipDrive(tm) will be a popular seller and has shipped its first order to D&H, the Pennsylvania-based Distributor which provides a sorted collection of products available in the consumer market. The RipDrive(tm) is also available at other retailers, including Amazon.com now, and can be purchased at the Company's web site at http://www.pogoproducts.com/
"PoGo! continues to offer the latest in cutting-edge technology products to the consumer," stated Jim LaVoie, the Company's President.RipDriveTM MP3/WMA Player, MP3 Recorder and Digital FM Radio with Direct Record. NO PC REQUIRED!
Store and listen to thousands of your favorite MP3 or WMA files; directly record hundreds of hours of MP3 audio and store gigabytes of your important data in its hard drive!
Introducing our most powerful product - The RipDrive.
Running out of room on your PC for all your MP3/WMA or data files? Looking for the most versatile player in the market today? Then look no further! The RipDrive is here!
The RipDrive appears as another drive on your PC (mass storage device) without the need for any additional drivers!* Use the RipDrive as your own portable hard drive and back up those important data/multimedia files! The RipDrive can play MP3 or WMA files and has the ability to directly record to an MP3 file format from any audio source using its line-in connector or internal microphone. No PC Required!
Get more for your money! The RipDrive has a built-in digital FM tuner with a direct record feature so you can save your radio broadcasts. The RipDrive also doubles as an advanced digital voice recorder with features like an internal microphone (for voice quality recordings) and with its 20 or 30 gigabyte** hard drive, you can always be sure you have enough space available to record! Get yours today!
About PoGo! Products
PoGo! Products, Ltd. (www.pogoproducts.com) is the developer and marketer of innovative, industry-first personal technology products, led by industry veterans who are proven leaders in the consumer electronic market. The corporate headquarters for PoGo! Products and home base for sales and customer service are located in Brea, Calif., USA, with all product manufacturing done in Asia by engineering teams in both locations
OT: If he cannot make money..who the H needs him in that position? He should have had his big spending butt fired.....sent back to developing acts...not running the business.
November MP3 sales
NPD
Total November 2003
Dollar Volume $45,030,890
BRAND_______Nov. 03 Unit Share
1. APPLE_________21.3%
2. DIGITALWAY____16.2%
3. IRIVER_________14.7%
4. RCA____________9.0%
5. RIO_____________7.6%
ALL OTHERS_____31.20%
MP3 SALES OCTOBER 2003
NPD
Total October 2003
Dollar Volume $23,312,000
Brand____________________Oct. 03 Unit Share
1. Apple____________________24.8%
2, IRiver____________________12.4%
3. RCA_____________________11.2%
4. Rio______________________10.5%
4. Digitalway_________________9.3%
Market Growth of Full-Featured Handsets Will Spark Full-On Mobile Platform Wars
Monday January 26, 7:04 am ET
Zelos Group: Mobile Electronics Sector Will be Redefined as Nearly Half of All Mobile Handsets Will be Based on Full-Feature Operating Systems by 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Zelos Group predicts by 2008, sales of full-featured handsets, mobile phones that incorporate full-featured operating systems, will grow to about 290 million, or about 43 percent of global handset sales. Mainstream adoption of these devices will have a significant, disruptive impact on the entire mobile electronics sector -- in markets for wireless, personal electronics and computing technologies.
"The mass adoption of full-featured handsets will be disruptive," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst and managing partner, Zelos Group, the report's author. "Consumers will substitute use of PDAs, digital cameras, gaming consoles and music players. An early indication of this is Nokia becoming a leading distributor of digital cameras."
The report, Defining the Market for Full-Feature Handsets, asserts that leaders in other portable device categories like Sony, Apple, Nintendo, Hewlett-Packard and Casio will respond to the competitive threat from handset OEMs. McAteer says these vendors will focus on improving the core functionality of special purpose devices, and by adding mobile WAN connectivity.
"As handsets with multiple gigabytes of storage are launched in the next two or three years, it is possible to envision, for example, Hewlett-Packard launching an iPod with integrated W-CDMA transceiver and dual-use headset and speaker," observed McAteer.
Zelos Group expects that shipments of full-feature handsets will overtake shipments of personal computers in 2006. There is no economic reason to question why growth will not be explosive. Full-featured handsets will be available from manufacturers at price points as low as $157 in 2006 close to the market average selling price for a mobile phone of about $138 in that year. Mobile handsets are the largest single consumer electronics category driving research and development in electronics, power and display technologies, and the market has become a major battleground for computing operating systems.
"The market for full-feature handset platforms will continue to be highly competitive over the next five years," commented McAteer. "In the medium term, the battle will be dominated by Symbian. But in the long term, the fight for supremacy is far from over."
Based on Zelos Group's analysis, the long-term prospects for Linux as the preferred operating system for connected devices are very strong. Zelos Group scored all mobile platforms across five criteria: business viability, completeness, cost, end user appeal and openness. Linux scored highest on the two criteria that matter most to OEMs and carriers: openness and low cost, whereas Microsoft scored lowest in these criteria.
Although Microsoft will be a powerful contender against Symbian in the next two years, it will not dominate the market in the long-term. Microsoft will seek a premium for the Windows brand and will seek to promote its own proprietary take on open standards.
"Symbian beats Microsoft due to the flexibility of its licensing terms," commented McAteer. "Microsoft's prospects will be stymied to an extent by its desire to strictly manage how its brand is used. Although we expect at least five million Windows mobile devices to ship in 2004, we find it doubtful that Microsoft will succeed in its stated goal of shipping over 100 million mobile devices running Windows in 2007."
About Zelos Group
Zelos Group is a research and advisory services firm that assists leading technology companies and service providers in the interactive services sector. The company focuses on voice applications, wireless applications, directory assistance and electronic games across multiple platforms, networks and devices. The firm's analysts are frequently sought as industry experts, and often appear in the media and at conferences around the world.
Gateway DMP X-20 Still featured on HSN
http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx?webp_id=1525452&web_id=1525452&sz=0&sf=ec&d...
Firmware upgrade....
Thank you for your e-mails,#$#. We provided the current feature set according to Gateway's specifications. Based on their customer feedback, we are updating the feature set which we expect will be offered as a firmware upgrade from them.
Best regards,
Robert Putnam
Senior Vice President
Gateway LAST in CNET HDD jukebox shootout.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6497-5093864.html?tag=cnetfd.ldgif
O-1000 review for comparison
It seems CNET redid the rating....
http://reviews.cnet.com/eDigital_Odyssey_1000/4505-6490_7-20845399.html?tag=dir
Tinroad LOL Yes I am........ eom
Can't recall (old age)if info on this unit has been posted? If it has...sorry.
The Toshiba Gigabit, which I fondled behind closed doors at CES, is a boxy 20GB player that has a minimalist stainless-steel finish and is about the size of the larger iPod. The most important improvement is battery life. The Gigabit, due out in June for about the same price as Apple's 20GB version, claims an impressive 11 hours of continuous tuneage -- much longer than my iPod (which hums along for about half that time on continuous playback). But the Gigabit has the same problem as all of the ersatz iPods: inelegant scrolling. The buttons are placed on the side and don't offer any easy way to plow through the 5,000 or so songs you'll be loading up.
http://www.business2.co.uk/b2/subscribers/articles/0,17863,579604-2,00.html
iPod also uses Wolfson chip... eom
OT: Atmel Targets Image/Video/Audio Playback Applications such as TVs, Displays and Projectors with Introduction of New Processor Family
AT76C113P Device Integrates All Playback Functions Onto a Single Chip
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 20, 2004 -- Atmel Corporation announced today the introduction of a new family of playback media processors suitable for Standard and High-definition TVs, flat-panel displays, projectors, and standalone playback boxes.
AT76C113P integrates all the functions required to implement playback functions onto single chip. The device contains a high-speed flash card interface that allows quick access of high-resolution images, video and audio streams stored in flash cards by digital still cameras. The media streams are then decompressed, processed and presented to the user overlayed with high-quality graphics.
AT76C113P device can generate full resolution images that can be displayed to HDTVs, LCD, and PDP displays. This allows the user to enjoy the images at their natural full resolution. It can also scale down images to NTSC/PAL resolution suitable for display in standard definition TVs. The device also has a USB host capability that allows direct reading from digital still cameras for archiving purposes, as well as reading of data from USB stick memory cards. The AT76C113P is available with and without USB hosting capability.
The device has an integrated ARM7TDMI processor that controls the entire application and manages file-system, decoding, and display functions. AT76C113P devices support all flash card interfaces including Secure Digital, MMC Multimedia, Memorystick, Smartmedia, CompactFlash, and Atmel Dataflash cards. In addition, all necessary peripherals including TV video output, USB, UART and SPI, digital audio interfaces to minimize the total system cost. Digital-to-analog converters have also been integrated to playback audio from video clips without external components. The AT76C113P device offers several new features compared with its predecessor products: Higher speed ARM subsystem running at 80MHz, integrated video encoder with line driver, hardware rotation function, unified memory architecture, and fast flash card interfaces.
The AT76C113P device supports audio and video decoding of MPEG1, MJPEG, as well as most popular video formats found in digital still cameras. It can also decompress audio files, including MP3, through a high-resolution digital audio interface. The decompression speed of 75ms per megapixel, combined with the high transfer rates to flash cards, can achieve quick rendering of even large, high-resolution images.
That is the MILLION DOLLAR question? They appear to be.....I have only seen ReignCom and Digitalway mentioned. A single Chinese mfg. seems doubtful IMO.
Another item that makes it possible that we are working with them is their apparent (according to the article) lack of success (73,000 sold last year) with their own HDD players.
I know that some will say that is probably more than we have sold of our designs (excluding Gateway), but considering the retail outlets iRiver have been in...their HDD players have not met with success....hence ReignCom turning to e.Digital?
Korea's ReignCom: Moving Up The MP3 Charts
(If already posted...sorry)
Its flash-memory players are now at the top of their class in the U.S. Look out, iPod?
A year and a half ago, Yang Deok Joon was in big trouble. His startup, ReignCom Ltd., had been making portable CD and MP3 players for Santa Clara (Calif.)-based SonicBlue, but the U.S. company was crumbling. Giant U.S. retailer Best Buy Co. (BBY ), which sold SonicBlue's Rio players, was reluctant to carry the little-known South Korean maker's gadgets without the Rio brand.
Then in June, 2002, Best Buy agreed to take Yang's products -- but only if ReignCom could provide a player that stored music on flash-memory chips, something ReignCom had never made. The deadline: Sept. 20. Yang threw every engineer he had into the project, and by August had come up with a prototype that could hold 30 songs. "We made a huge bet," recalls Yang.
The bet paid off. ReignCom's iRiver models now account for a fifth of all flash-memory players sold in the U.S., according to market researcher NPD Group Inc. Yes, Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL ) iPod rules in the segment with hard drives, where prices range from $300 to $500. That's twice the cost of most flash-memory players, but the hard-drive units can hold up to 40 times as much music -- 10,000 or more songs. Not everyone wants so much capacity, however, and ReignCom has come out of nowhere to grab the top spot in sales of the less capacious flash-memory-based players. Worldwide, it sold 1.2 million last year. Revenues nearly tripled, to $193.3 million, in 2003, while profits jumped fivefold, to $36 million. Investors like the tune. Since listing in Seoul on Dec. 19, ReignCom shares have more than doubled, to $94.
ReignCom's MP3 push marks the first time a Korean company has seized the lead in sales of a digital device from the Japanese. And it shows the Koreans' ability to move up the economic food chain as China takes over more electronics manufacturing. Yang, who quit Samsung Electronics Co. in 1999 to found ReignCom, focuses on development and marketing and outsources production to a Chinese partner. "If we could have scores of companies like ReignCom, Korea would be dancing," says Na Ghi Hwan, a deputy director at the Commerce Ministry.
One key to ReignCom's success has been a flood of new products with features rivals can't match. ReignCom rolled out 12 music players last year, double the number of any of its competitors. The company was quick to introduce machines capable of playing songs downloaded in the multiple formats offered by various online music stores. And a year ago, ReignCom became the first company to offer 512-megabyte flash-memory players, which can hold about 125 songs. In October, it was first to market with a 1-gigabyte player holding 250 songs. "ReignCom has done a remarkable job in building up its brand name," says Woo Jung Ku, chief executive of Digitalway, a rival Korean MP3-player manufacturer.
Plenty of others are looking to get on the bandwagon. All the big Japanese consumer-electronics makers now offer players, as do Samsung and a host of smaller Korean rivals. Perhaps the biggest challenge, though, comes from Apple, which just introduced the iPod Mini. This $250 machine costs less than iRiver's top flash players but holds about four times as much music on its hard drive. In response, ReignCom in June started rolling out a line of hard-drive-based players. Although the gadgets cost slightly less than iPods, they're not as sleek, and iRiver sold just 73,000 of them last year. Now, ReignCom is one of five hardware makers working with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT ) to develop a handheld audio-video player capable of holding more than 100 hours of movies and thousands of songs. Sure, it's another big bet, but ReignCom has wagered heavily before -- and won.
OT: D-Link's New Wireless Media Device Plays Digital Music, Videos, and Photos On Home Television and Stereo
Tuesday January 20, 9:06 am ET
New D-Link Digital Home Solution Merges Home Entertainment Center With Home Network for Seamless Delivery of Multimedia Content Anywhere in the Home
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- D-Link, the true leading global manufacturer of broadband, wireless, and networking hardware for Home and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) environments today announced the D-Link Wireless Media Player that distributes digital music, video and photos stored on PCs to play and view on a television and/or stereo system. The standard- based D-Link Wireless Network Media Player enhances the usability of both a home network and a home entertainment center by creating a seamless connection between computers and consumer electronics.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010327/DLINKLOGO )
"The new wireless media player gives consumers access to more content than ever before in the area where they congregate the most, the family room," said Steven Joe, President and CEO of D-Link. "Now a family can view a catalogued library of digital photos on their TV or listen to pre-set configured MP3s in surround sound stereo, all of which represent the next step in the evolution and convergence of the CE and PC for the digital home."
The D-Link Wireless Media Player is a stand-alone unit that resides within a home entertainment center and connects to the television and/or stereo using standard A/V or S-video cables. Using the included remote control and step- by-step TV interface, it is then easily connected to a home network via 802.11g wireless, or if preferred, through standard Ethernet cabling.
In addition to streaming digital music, photos and video from networked PCs within the home, D-Link also incorporates AOL® Services, allowing users to experience a free trial opportunity of up to 6 months for Radio@AOL®, the #1 Internet streaming radio service.
The D-Link Wireless Media Player is IEEE compliant, supports the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard for immediate network recognition of the device upon installation, and also support UPnP AV for immediate device recognition and content playback, as well as the emerging standards set by the Digital Home Working Group. The wireless connection is secured with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64/128-bit encryption.
The D-Link Wireless Media Player includes D-Link Media Server Software for Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP which intuitively compiles digital content on the network, organizing the data from the network library and AOL entertainment services into playlists by file type (audio/video/photo) and cataloguing the individual files by categories such as genre, artist and title for immediate access through the Media Player.
Users can wirelessly locate and stream multiple types of digital content from the Internet or hard drive using the included remote control and intuitive interface. The Player supports virtually all digital content standards, including the popular MP3, WAV, AIF and WMA audio formats, the JPG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, JPG2000 and GIF Image formats, the MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 DivX, Quicktime and WMV Video formats and the M3U, PLS, ASX and RMP Audio Playlist formats. The Wireless Media Player also supports streaming audio and video Internet services including an exclusive offer with the best-of-breed Radio@AOL broadband service.
Price and Availability
The D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player will be available in late February through authorized retail, reseller and distribution partners at a Manufacturer's Suggested Price MSRP of $149 and an Estimated Street Price ESP of $129. Radio@AOL and other services will be available in April. The D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player comes with a One Year Warranty and absolutely FREE 24/7 Technical Support including firmware updates.
What are the odds that Samsung, after bringing to market at least 2 HDD players, turning to e.Digitals O-1000 for a "new" version?
Sanyo has a Media2Go PVP in the works. Could be? eom